Williams shoo-in for MVP plum

Sta. Lucia stalwart Kelly Williams is on his way to becoming the Most Valuable Player a year after bagging the Rookie of the Year honors.

Emerging as the All-Filipino Conference top player and the runaway leader of the statistical points race in the season about to end, the prolific Williams has zeroed in on the most coveted individual award in the PBA with only the stats of the closing game of the Magnolia-Air21 semifinals series to be tallied.

The 6-foot-7 Fil-Am forward leads the race with an average of 35.5 points per game.

Air21’s Arwind Santos is at second with 33.9 points per game while Alaska’s Willie Miller is at third with a 33.3-point norm.

Curiously, the reigning MVP winner and the two players who slugged it out for the Rookie of the Year honors last season are the top candidates for the MVP award this campaign.

Ginebra’s Jayjay Helterbrand rallied from seventh to fourth after improving his 31.8 average in the Philippine Cup to 32.42 in the Fiesta Conference while Purefoods’ Kerby Raymundo closed out the Magic Five with a 31.9 norm.

Only the top five in the stats race will be named candidates for the award. Mark Caguioa would automatically become the sixth candidate should he emerge the Fiesta Conference top player.

Barely missing the Magic Five were Asi Taulava (31.5), James Yap (30.3) and Cyrus Baguio (30.0), closely followed by Caguioa (28.8).

Next were Danny Seigle, Ranidel de Ocampo, Jay Washington, Nic Belasco, Jimmy Alapag, Ryan Reyes, Dondon Hontiveros, Junthy Valenzuela, Bitoy Omolon, Sonny Thoss and Mark Cardona rounding up the Top 20 who make the candidates list for the Mythical Selection.

Reyes, of Sta. Lucia, also looks a cinch for the Rookie of the Year award being the lone freshman in the Top 20.

Statistics comprise 30 percent of the criteria with the other points to come from votes by the media (30 percent), players (25 percent), TV coveror ABC Sports (10 percent) and the PBA Commissioner’s Office (5 percent).

Williams could well be the fifth former Rookie of the Year awardee to become an MVP after Ricky Brown, Benjie Paras, Allan Caidic and Ildefonso.

Paras won the MVP award right in his rookie year in 1989. Brown and Ildefonso both snared their MVP honors in their third season in the league.

Actually, Williams is also a contender for the Fiesta Conference Best Player award that is likely to go to either Caguioa or Helterbrand.

The Fiesta Conference Best Player and Best Import will be named before Game Three of the finals. The MVP winner and the other season awardees will be honored before Game Four.